THE POST-DIGITAL ERA

The workforce is filling up with staff who have grown up around online technology and that is heightening the need for travel to adapt, writes

In the next decade the majority of the world’s population will belong to a “post-digital generation”, according to a report from aviation technology specialist SITA.

The report is referring to those who have grown up immersed in online technology, and mobile devices – and grown used to managing their lives – with them.

It’s a sobering thought when you consider the high expectations of this generation (born from 1981 onwards) and their impact on corporate life – including their travel behaviour – going forward.

The SITA 2025: Air Travel for a Digital Age report reveals more than 80% of airline and airport IT leaders believe the changing demographic will be the “most important influence” on their digital strategy by 2025.

And, according to the study, the demographic expects travel to be selfservice – using mobile devices, apps and chatbots – and totally seamless.

Technology is already being used by most passengers across a journey, says SITA’S Passenger IT Insights

2019, with more than 50% using technology to check-in for their flight. In addition, an increasing number of travellers are using automated gates at passport control too.

In the not too distant future, further steps towards seamless travel will come with the use of mobile devices for identification whether that's through biometric or possibly blockchain technologies.

SITA’S research reveals that 59% of passengers are ‘very willing’ to use their mobiles for ID verification along the journey, with another third open to the idea.

The study also shows that more than 50% of air transport IT leaders view biometric travel tokens as the main driver for change in the future passenger experience.

A number of initiatives in this area are already under way with industry stakeholders including

Amadeus with its Digital Traveller ID and IATA through its One ID projects.

Meanwhile, the Known Traveller Digital Identity project from the World Economic Forum and a number of partners, took a step forward in July with the launch of a ‘paperless travel’ pilot between Canada and the Netherlands.

The SITA report says that by 2025, the number of people using a governmentissued digital ID will rise from a predicted 1.7billion in 2019 to more than 5billion in 2024. The study also shows that by 2021, more than 70% of airlines plan to invest in biometric ID solutions and almost half of airports are planning to employ secure single tokens across all touchpoints. Chatbots are a further area of development, with 25% of airlines already using artificial intelligencedriven chatbots and another 55% expecting to do so by 2021.

Easyjet went a step further recently with an announcement about adding voice search to its mobile app. The 'Speak Now' technology has been developed by Travelport and will enable travellers to search flight options by saying their destination, dates and preferred airports to their device. Voice booking will undoubtedly come further down the road, with Easyjet or other airlines.

With an increasingly tech-driven workforce and growing investment from governments, airlines and other travel companies, the concept of seamless travel is getting a little closer to reality. •

59% of airline passengers are ‘very willing’ to use their mobiles for ID verification along the journey”